Page 2: "Instructions to Students" which should be followed to maintain your status.

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Any authorizations for curricular practical training

Any recommendation for optional practical training

Any endorsement signatures of a Designated School Official (DSO) affirming that the information on the front of your I-20 is correct and you are currently in status for the purpose of re-entering the U.S.

You should keep all of your original I-20s even after a new one has been issued to reflect updated information or transfer of schools. If you lose your current I-20, request a replacement. E-Form Application login

You should keep your immigration documents current, secure and accessible.

Your I-94

is what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses to keep track of your arrival to and departure from the U.S.

is a small white card usually stapled onto a visa page of your passport

contains an eleven-digit identifying number

indicates your lawful status

lists how long you may remain in the U.S.

Usually you will be admitted for “D/S,” meaning the duration of status for the length of your program of study as indicated on your Form I-20

including any period of post-completion optional practical training

plus 60 days

If you finish your program before the completion date indicated on your I-20, you are considered to have competed your program of study and your I-20 is no longer valid.

is to be surrendered upon your departure from the U.S.–upon your return to the U.S. you will receive another one.

It is your permit allowing you to travel to a U.S. port of entry and to request entry as a non-immigrant.

You might think of your visa as an entry key to the door of the U.S.

Once you have opened the door and entered, you do not need to worry about whether your visa is valid or expired unless you leave and plan to re-enter the U.S. In that case, you must have your key--a valid U.S. visa--to be able to reenter.

Even though your visa allows you to travel to a U.S. port of entry, it is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigration inspector who determines your admission, length of stay and conditions of stay in the U.S.

Your visa is valid for a specified number of entries to the United States: one, two, or "multiple," i.e., any number, until the expiration date.

If you are a Canadian citizen entering the U.S. from within the Western Hemisphere, you are not required to have a visa, but you must show your Form I-20 and proof of Canadian citizenship. more

If you renew your passport and still have a valid visa in your old one, you may continue to use the visa in your old passport to enter the U.S.

If you change your status in the U.S. and then travel, you must have a visa corresponding to your new status when you re-enter the U.S.